Henry Ellenson, Marquette
MBB Minute: Marquette, Butler Slide Up The Standings
Marquette and Butler moved up in the BIG EAST standings with victories on Wednesday despite outstanding offensive individual performances on the losing teams.
Marquette outlasted No. 20/T17 Providence 96-91 in double overtime at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Freshman Henry Ellenson recorded his league-leading 15th double-double of the season with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Classmate Haanif Cheatham added 21 points and six rebounds.
Luke Fischer had 12 points and 10 boards.
Providence’s Ben Bentil poured in a career-high 42 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. He shot 6-of-13 from 3-point range and 14-of-17 from the foul line. Kris Dunn, who fouled out in the first extra sesssion, finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Marquette is 5-7 in BIG EAST play, while Providence is 6-6.
Butler moved into a tie with Providence at 6-6 with an 81-75 victory at Seton Hall. Kelan Martin posted 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead all five Bulldog starters in double figures. Kellen Dunham scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half.
Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead had a white-hot first half, scoring 23 points and not missing a shot. He was 7-of-7 from 3-point range and 8-of-8 overall. In the second half, he scored only three points, but had nine assists. He finished with career highs of 26 points and 10 assists. With the result, both teams are 17-7 overall. The Hall is in a three-way tie for third place with Creighton and Georgetown at 7-5.
BIG EAST action continues on Saturday with a four-game lineup. FOX has a doubleheader with Georgetown visiting Providence at noon ET and Xavier traveling to Butler for a 2:30 p.m. tip. In the evening, Creighton plays at Marquette and St. John’s meets Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center.